Machine for operating upon warps



M'. F. FIELD.

' MACHINE FOR OPERATING UPON WARPS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, 1898- Patented J an. 4, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

i Q Q V m a $3; f

M. F. FIELD. MACHINE FOR OPERATING UPON WARPS.

2 SHEETS-SHI:ET 2.

Patented Jan. 4, 1921.

, ru e/6(4):

6 2211 d mdru APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, 1898.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE.

MILLARD I. FIELD, OF BOSTON,-MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN-' MENTS, TO BARBER-COLMAN COMPANY, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS, A CORPORA- TION OF ILLINOIS.

MACHINE ro'a'ornaa'rme uroN wears.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 4, 1921.;

' Application filed June 28, 1898. Serial No. 684,201.

upon a plurality of series of elements, as,

for example, warp threads and loom-harness heddles. The invention relates to means for causing the operating mechanism to travel past said series of elements, and means for imparting a differential feed or adjustment to one of the series ofelements to maintain operative relationship between the operating mechanism and said series of elements.

While the invention is herein illustrated as embodied in a warp-drawing machine, it will be understood that the invention -is applicable to other classes of machines for operating upon warps.

It is usual in warp-drawing machines to feed or advance the operating mechanism at a uniform rate based upon the number of heddles per inch. If the warp 'were of the same width as the harnesses and the threads regularly spaced, it would hennnecessary to adjust the warp. In most instances, however, the warp is wider than the harnesses and it is therefore necessary to adjust or feed the warp in the direction opposite to the direction'of travel of the operating mechanism in order to maintain warp threads in operative relation to said mechanism. In the case of a few classes of goods, the warp is narrower than the harnesses and it is consequently necessary to feed or adjust'the warp in the same direction as that in which the operating mechanism travels.

The present invention relates more particularly to the maintenance of the operat ing mechanism and one of the series of elements in proper relation to each other, no matter whether that series be wider or nar rower than the other series of elements.

Figure 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a warp-drawing machine embodying my invention. s

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the same, some parts not directly concerned with my invention being omitted, and portions in the center of the machine being shown as broken away.

Fig. 3 is an elevation upon an enlarged scale of the warp-holding and tension prbducing mechanism on line 3--3, Fig. 2,- viewed from the right of that figure; a portion of the frame of the machine an the rod 1* are in section. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the feedscrew and its immediately connected parts, showing the-course of the warp-threads, and the manner in which they are acted upon and controlled in accordance with my present improvements.

Fig. 5 illustrates a modified form of a warp separating screw.

Referring to the drawingsa designates the frame of the machine which supports tracks b 6 upon which the carriage c travels, which is moved stepby-step by a pawl (23 actuated from the cam and driving shaft e, through the medium of suitable gearing upon a pinion f, which meshes with a rack formed one bar 9 connected with the frame.

h h designate the bars of the harness which are supported upon suitable means in the frame, the harness-eyes being spacedand positioned by means shown in Fig. 1,

and fully described in Letters Patent No. I 755861, dated March 29, 1904, so that they.

need not be herein further explained.

-z' is the reed, loosely supported upon the frame of the machine, and j is the hook or needle suitably supported and reciprocated by means intermediate of itself and the cam shaft e.

l: is the shaft upon which are the several warp-thread operatingportions, namely, the frusto-conical and fluted or corrugated part 2, for gradually increasing the tension upon the warp-threads as they approach the path of the drawing-in needle and to stroke them into parallel positions; and the plain cylindrica'l part 3 upon which the stretched warpthreads may be collected to be selected one at a time by the warp-separating feed-screw portion 4, which is provided with a shoulder Z the face of which isat right angles to'the" axis of shaft is.

The screw-shaft has an intermittently rotary movement imparted to it through 1ntermediate means (not shown) connected with the shaft of a ratchet-wheel m, which is operated upon by a pawl n actuated through intermediate connections by a cam on the shaft e. The means in detail for operating the screw-shaft are fully shown and described in my said Letters Patent No. 755861, dated March 29, 1904, and need not,

- for aiclear understanding of my present inbeam over the screw-shaft k, a freqent variation in the slope of the threads is liable to occur. The best angle of slope for the threads in relation to the shoulder Z is that which corresponds to the slope ofthe thread of the screw 4, and in order to present each thread at substantially this angle, I provide a stop-arm 00 upon a bracket 0, supported on the carriage c, which arm projects over the series of threads and hasa hooked end :0 which extends down across the plane in which they lie, sothat as the drawing-in operation proceeds, this hook or feeler, as it may be termed will catch the threads and hold them back to the point at which the hook is adjusted. This point should be a little in advance of the plane of the shoulder l, at a position which will give the thread next to be selected an an 1e of slope from the inner surface of the 00k m, to the shoulder Z substantially the same as the slope of the thread of the screw 4'. By this means-the engagement of the threads by the selecting lip of the screw 4 will be most accurate; here will be little liability of a thread, once taken by the screw, being pulled out of it because the slope of the warpthread is too great in front of the shoulder l,

or of a second thread snapping over the shoulder into the screw-thread because the slope of the warp-thread is too little.

w, 'w are the warp-threads'which extend up from, the warp-beam (not shown), properly: supported by the frame of the machine, whi'chwarp-threads pass between the clampbars 1), partially around the screw-shaft and screw, and between'the pair of clampbars 9 The latter pair of clamp bars hold the ends of the warp-threads frictionally, but not so firmly as to prevent them from being drawn out from between the bars without danger of breaking the threads,

while the pair of clamp-bars p, to render the machine fully practicable, must hold the threads so firmly that the needle cannot draw them through those clamps.

To render the clamp-bars capable of performing the functions which I have just ascribed to them, I form one of the pair of bars 19 with a rubber lined groove, and the other with a rubber or rubber covered matching tongue, and the bars .9 are formed in the same manner, excepting that I'sub-v stitute felt or its equivalent for the rubber. In either case the tongue may be a substantial bar in itself, so that the tongue and bar may. be one piece, as shown at 9.

Under this construction, which I deem important, the threadswhile they are being evened as to length, put under tension, and caught and pulled upon by. the hook or needle y', will be immovably held by the clampbars 3), but will slip from between the bars 9.

Each pair of clamp-bars p, g, is connected with a section of their carrying frame 0, which is so hung or supported that it can move to a limited extent with the clampbars, on a line longitudinally of the latter. In the present case the frame 0, as a whole,

is supported or hung from journal pins or rods 1 extending horizontally from each end of the frame, which pins run on rollers s journaled in a stationary part of the machine frame.

A strap t 'connectedvat one end to the clamp-bars supporting frame, passes over a pulley u, and by means of weights 1: applied to the other end, tends to move the said frame 0 and the clamp-bars p, 9, carried by it, and as a matter ofcourse, the v warp-threads engaged by the clamp-bars, in the direction of or toward the warp feedscrew 4.

The tendency of the weights c acting 'through'the medium-of the strap t on the carriage 0 is to constantly pull the clampbars 17, q, in the direction of the arrow in F g. 4, as fast as space is provided by the reciprocating needle, drawing warp-threads 'w from the hooked end of the arm as, consequently the hooked end w of said arm a: will hold the warp-threads and their clampbars back to exactly the line necessary to keep them from being crowded upon the screw4 too fast, so that the selecting lip of the screw will not take more than one thread at a time in its groove, and yet keep the supporting carriage with its contained "threads fed up to and urged upon the screw warp-threads, as a second element, and means for giving said carriage a longitudinal feeding movement, as a third element, the action of the stop-arm w is that of a feeler for maintaining operatively related positions between the forward edge of the advancing. unseparated warp-threads and the selecting lip or point of-the warp-separating screw.

In commencingto draw-in a series of warps wh1ch is wlder than the reed, the

- tively to the width or length of the reed and ranks of heddles. -The force which causes this movement of the frame 0 to the left should always be sufficient to keep the forward threads of the series pressed firmly against the said end 00', but not so great as to pull the threads from the clamp-bars Q, or to prevent the arm 00 from holding back the clamp-bars and frame 0 until any crowded condition ofthe threads has been relieved bythe' drawing-in operation.

I have also provided a finger 3 which is adjustably connected with the arm ac, and is of such form and construction that it may bear upon the warps which are being advanced by the feed-screw 4 and some of those upon the cylindrical part 3 of the screw-shaft, so as to keep the advanced warps from gathering in a bunch by the action thereon of the angular end a? of the arm 00, and also to tend the better to stroke,

as it were, the warp-threads down upon the screw and hold them in place. For this latter purpose also a finger 90 may be attached to the head 0 and act upon the warps passing up from the clamp 19 to press them inward toward the feed-screw.

The frusto-conical part 2 of the screwshaft is shown herein as fluted or corrugated. This is a modification of the construchifon of one part of the shaft of the warp M eed-screw preceding the screw itself, which I find of marked advantage over the construction shown and described in my said Patent No. 755,861, and beneficial in its disentangling operation upon the warp- The frusto-conical portion, however, may be constructed without the cor-' rugations and still serve a useful purpose, but not of the same effectiveness as when corrugated. Fig. 5 illustrates such a modification as last mentioned of a warp-sep'arating screw. in which the frusto-conical part 2 is not corrugated.

' bars.

threads which pass around the screw-shaft in will, by reason of thesmall diameter of the shaft, be without substantial tension, but when they .pass up the frusto-conicalpart 2 they will be put gradually under tension until they pass over on to the cylindrical part 3, when they will have become sufficiently taut. Y

It is essential to the accurate operation of. my invention that the tension on the warpthreads should be even, and this can best be brought about when the length of warpthreads between the two pairs of clamping bars p, g, is even and under the same tension when not affected by otherthings between their holdingor clamping points. To secure this evenness in the length of the portion of warp-threads in question, when a warp is put into thenmaohine, I may employ various means, but that herein shown consists of frame sections which support the clamping-bars so that one pair may be adjusted to and from the other. The clamping-bars p are connected with the frame section .2 which is arranged so as to be adjusted up and down on thestationary frame, by means of a pinion a on the shaft 1), adapted to be rotated by a hand-wheel 0 or other means on the said shaft; the said pinion engages .a rack a" formed on the frame section z. The clamping-bars q are supported on the fixed frame section 2 The warp-threads may be engaged by the clamping-bars when the said warp-threads are in the dresser or slasher, .and they may be engaged so as to make the portions of the warp-threads between them of uniform length, but to make certain of this result when the warp is put into the drawingumachine, the clamping-bars 7 should be adjusted so that the said portion of warp-threads between the clamping. means will be substantially slack. 1 Then, by turning the hand-wheel 0' in the proper direction, the section of the frame will be moved down,

with the result of stretching the threads evenly between the two pairs of clamping- When this is done the frame section a may be secured in fixed position by any suitable means.

As is herein represented the clamp q is supported on swinging arms 9 pivoted on a rod 9 supported in the frame section e A spring 9' coiledaround the said rod operates upon the arm 9 to press it downward with the clamping-bar 9, until the stop Q5 on the arm 9 comes into contact with a stationary part q of the machine. (See Figs.

1 and 3). With this construction the weight of the bar 9 can be made to draw constantly upon the warp-threads to assist in keeping themunder even tension, and a rigid tension, which is undesirable, will be avoided.

As has been hereinbefore intimated, when the warp-threads are put and maintained series of warp-threads, the latter can be held or fed up in line against the shoulder Z of the feed-screw, so as to insure the taking of one thread at each rotation of the screw and at the same time the threadswill be held back so as notto crowd uponthe screw in such manner that there may be liability 'of the screw catching two or more threads at a time.

The constantly increasing. tension put upon the warp-threads as they approach the screw-part 4 of the screw-shaft tends to disentangle and straighten out crossed or otherwise disordered threads, and also to. put them in exactly proper condition to be controlled and fed one by one to the screw.

The construction of the feed-screw and its shaft, as described, relieves the machine from any unnecessary strain by the warpthreads, and does away with all strain upon the threads by the machine during the operation 'of drawing-in, excepting upon such of the warp-threads as are being at the time operated upon by the screw 4,.and the parts of the machine influenced in its operation by those threads.

The length of the cylindrical part 3 may be much-shorter than is shown. in the'drawing, in fact, it may be only of sufiicient length to support a single thread immediately beside the shoulder of the screw threaded portion.

In the employment of the word automatically herein in connection with the operation of the movement of the compensating warp-feed mechanism or frame, it is meant to convey not only the idea that the operation is accomplished by mechanism and not by hand, but that it is done coordinately with theoperation of the machine in the act of drawing-in the warp, so as to secure the action by mechanism and in proper time with othermovements of the machine.

In the construction of the clamp-bars p and g, the grooves are made relatively nar row and deep and the tongue thin and wide to fit therein, so that the threads will be fri'ctionally held between the sides of the groove and the sides of the tongue, and so that the pinching of the threads between the bottom of the tongue and'the bottom of the groove, or the drawing of the threads about angles between the tongue and groove, will not be mainly depended upon as the holding properties of the clamp. With this .con-' struction, when the groove is made to extend from end to end in the part in which it is formed, the sides of the grooves, for all practical purposes, may be sprung apart as readily at the ends as in the middle; and

also the injurious effect caused by the two clamp-bars springing apart at'the middle portion only and thus producing uneven friction upon the warp-threads at different parts of the clamp, will be avoided. This is an important discovery in clamps used in warp-drawing and analogous machines.

The finger m in .addition to bearing against the warp-threads which are being acted upon by the feed-screw, as described, also operates to hold on to each warp-thread after it is drawn-in so that the end of the thread may be the more readily knocked out of the needle or hook.

The portion of the thread thus temporarily heldback by the finger m in no wise interferes with the proper accomplishment of the drawing-in operation, for as soon as the drawing-in and feeding mechanism, and with them the finger 00 have passed, the thread is released and may be drawn through the harness-eyes and the'reed when desired.

.the reed which may have occurred in its construction or from other cause.

The appropriate splits of the reeds are separated before the advance of the needle by a reedopening lever 11 having a wedge-shaped nose, which is adapted to enter between the splits lever being mounted upon the needle carriage, it also acts at the same time to adjust or differentially feed the reed lengthwise in its bearings sufliciently to compensate for any longitudinal displacement of the space between the reed splits from the line of needle movement. The reed-opening lever is secured to a rock shaft 11 suitably journaled in the carriage, the latter having the depending arm 2' which is operatively engaged by the reciprocatory push rod 2'' passing to suitable operating mechanism at the opposite end of the carriage. During op-' eration of the machine the reed-opening lever is normally thrown forward by a spring 6 and retracted at suitable time by the push rod 71. 7 Combined with the reed opener upon the needle carriage is also further auxiliary mechanism comprising a transversely movable swinging stripping mechanism w, which is connected to the rock shaft to upon the carriage and following each retraction of the needle is given a reciprocatory movement by means of the said rock shaft across the needle path to strip the drawn thread from the needle and displace it to one side of theline of needle arrangement therein shown is to give a comof the reed and press them apart. The said action. The effect of the construction and pensating feed and adjustment to the reed in relation to the feed of the carriage which supports the drawing-in needle, for it is rarely possible to gear the movement of the needle carriage so that the number of reciprocations of the needle will exactly correspond to the number of splits per inch in the reed.

As above pointed out, the warp-frame is also differentially fed in relation to the traverse of the drawing-in needle on its carriage along the harnwses, considering the latter as a fixed element in the machine. Broadly, therefore, the invention disclosed herein combines a drawing-in element positively and uniformly fed in its movement past one fixed element, namely, the'harness; independent means for controlling and compensatingly feeding the reed to adjust it to the regular action of the drawing-in needle and the action of other mechanism cooperating with the needle, and other independent devices for controlling and feeding differentially. the warp-frame and its contained warp-threads in relation to the traversing feed of said drawing-in needle and its associated and cooperating devices for acting on the reed and on the disengaged threads. I

The invention herein disclosed relates to means for controlling the feeding of. and otherwise operating upon separate threads as component parts of a series, and is, therefore, adapted for use in machines in the allied art of warp-twisting and. warp-tying machines, or other machines for uniting the ends of warp threads. 7

It will be apparent from inspection hereof and of the published prior art relating to said warp uniting machines that the mechanisms herein disclosed, which are applicable for use in said warp uniting machines, are the warp-separating screw and thread holding clamps; the combination of thread separatin means, means such as a frame for holding distended a series of warpthreads and means bearing against the contained warp-threads to position the thread holding means in relation to the separating means; the combination of thread selecting means, means for holding a series of warp-threads distended, means for supporting and traversing the thread select- 1ng means, means for independently feeding the thread holding devices and contained threads and means bearing against the contained threads in said war -holding devices and adapted to position t e warpholding devices in relation to the action of the thread separating device; and the combination with these last two groups of av second frame with contained members, the said second frame being parallel to the warpholding devices and having an independent feeding movement parallel with the feeding movement of the warp-holding devices.

And the combination of such a group of elements (comprising an automatically fed and controlled warp carriage containing or .adapted to contain the series of warpthreads designed to be acted upon successively) with an independently and automatically fed carriage supporting the thread selecting or separating means and associated mechanism which operates upon the threads.

harness, as other elements, some or all of which requlre independent compensating feeding mechanism and this primary ele ment being likewise combined inthe warp uniting machine I with another parallel warp-holdin frame which in some or most instances, a so requires independent compensating feeding mechanism. The same problem is obviously present in both classes of machines, to wit: that of keeping in 00- operative alinement members contained respectively in two-parallel elements, which members are designed to be acted upon s1- multaneously, the members of each series being so acted upon by independent but cooperating mechanism.

The Warp supporting means herein shown is claimed in application Serial No. 416,120, filed. October 11', 1920.

' \Vithout, therefore, intending to limit myself to the particular forms of mechanism herein shown, or to any special mode of using the same, what -I claim is 1. In a machine for operating upon warp threads or the like, the combination with a machine frame, a movable operating carriage, thread selecting mechanism carried thereby, a movable. warp-holding carriage, feeding mechanism automatically to traverse the operating carriage lengthwise the machine frame and the warp-holding carriage, said Warp carriage being moved with and .by said traversing operating carriage, and means for automatically giving said warp carriage a separate and parallel movement for alining the foremost warp threads with relation to the selecting mechanism.

2. In a machine for acting conjointly upon a plurality of sets of weaving elements, the combination with a machine frame, a movable operating'carriage, a movable warp thread support for holding the warp thread stretched, a second support for holding in substantial parallelism with said warp a second set of weaving elements, se-

lecting mechanism on said carriage for in: dependently acting upon each set of weaving elements, feeding mechanism automatically to traverse the operating carriage lengthwise the machine frame and said supports, said warp support being moved with and by said traversing operating carriage, and means for automatically giving said warp support a separate and parallel movement for alining the foremost threads with relation to the selecting mechanism.

3. In a machine for acting upon warp threads, the combination with a machine frame, a movable warp carriage with means thereon for holding warp threads stretched, a second movable carriage, thread selecting mechanism on said last-named carriage, mechanism for automatically traversing the last-named carriage lengthwise the machine bed and the warp carriage, means operatively connecting the warp carriage with the second carriage to cause the warp carriage to move with and in the same direction as the second carriage, but for automatically moving the warp carriage in an opposite but parallel direction as required for alining the warp with relation to the selecting means.

4. In a machine for acting upon warp threads, the combination with a machine frame, a movable support for the thread elements of a warp whereon they are held stretched, a second support for a second series of weaving elements parallel with the first, a movable operating carriage, selecting mechanism on said last-named carriage for acting upon the individual elements of both sets, means for automatically travers ing the operating carriage lengthwise the machine frame and the twosupports, means operatively connecting the warp support with the operating carriage to cause the support to move with and in the same direction as the operating carriage, but for automatically moving the warp support in an opposite but parallel direction as required for al'ining the Warp in relation to the selecting means and said secondset of weaving elements. I

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 15th day of June A. I). 1898.

MILLARD F. FIELD. Witnesses:

C. D. LANNING, ARTHUR W. CROSSLEY. 

